Sampling Gentry's version of "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" got me to splurge on this artist I'd never heard of before. Being raised on Dionne Warwick's classic version, I was about to dismiss it after a split second (particularly over the polylayered instrumentation,) but then The Voice started up. Whereas Warwick sings Bacharach's lyrics with the composure, diction and poise of a woman who has done it to the point of nonchalance, Gentry's is the smoky-voiced recording of a woman seared day in-day out and barely able to command herself to sing. It's an entirely different beautiful thing.
And that was the first 30 seconds I'd heard. I'm one of those youngsters - born in 1977, one year before Gentry's sudden retirement - so I had no idea that she was responsible for so much: the true old-school ho's anthem "Fancy," an absorbing story-song; the danceable "Louisiana Man," and of course, her major hit, "Ode to Billie Joe" (Go, Mississippi! My birth state!)
Even lesser-known songs have truckloads of charm. "Peaceful" and "Smoke" have been on replay in my mind since hearing them. "Somebody Like Me" must have come from her Vegas period, it has that horn-and-chorus 70's Vegas sound. "Sweet Peony" and "Okolona River Bottom Band" are swampy as all git-out. The dreamy "Marigolds and Tangerines" must be heard in a high afternoon; it invites visions of sunny childhood. There are even a couple of unreleased Italian recordings where Bobbie's voice melds uniquely with the big instrumental sound. And I've forgotten many other songs I love! Every song on this two-disc compilation but one is on my iPod.
Every horn honk, guitar twang, drum tum and string strum is wonderful. The slightly hoarse smoke I heard in Gentry's voice upon first listen was only the beginning of a journey thru the work of a modern country queen. Capitol Nashville put up two discs of solid late-60's/early '70's urban country gold and sold it to the masses.

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James Dawson

Seven Tracks Not Yet on Other CDs

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2007

I don't have this yet (the star rating is simply for the songs). But as of March 12, 2007, I count seven tracks here that I never have found on any other Bobbie Gentry album CDs, "best of" CDs or compilation CDs. That includes four songs that apparently never were available on vinyl, either ("Windows of the World," "Smoke," "Siepe" and "Citta E'Grande"). The other three never-before-on-CD are "Delta Man" and "Rainmaker" from Gentry's "Fancy" album, and "But I Can't Get Back" from "Patchwork."

(UPDATE: Two days after posting this review, I heard from someone at Australian label Raven Records that they will be releasing a two-for-one CD of "Fancy" and "Patchwork" "in about two months" -- which would put the release date around May 2007. Raven already has released an excellent-sounding two-for-one of Gentry's "The Delta Sweete" and "Local Gentry," which also includes bonus tracks.)

Here's the full breakdown of what is on this new 2-CD collection: six tracks are from "Ode to Billie Joe," six from "The Delta Sweete," four from "Local Gentry," six from "Touch 'Em With Love," five from "Fancy," four from "Patchwork," five non-album tracks that previously have appeared on other compilations, and the four otherwise unavailable tracks.

Even taking this new compilation into account, two tracks from "Fancy" ("Something in the Way He Moves" and "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody") and four tracks from "Patchwork" ("Miss Clara/Azusa Sue," "Jeremiah," "Belinda" and "Mean Stepmama Blues") never have appeared on CD, so far as I know. Which means the upcoming Raven label two-for-one of those two albums still will be a required purchase for any Gentry fanatic!

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Ross

Bobbie Gentry Amazing

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2014

Verified Purchase

Bobbie Gentry is, for many, an undiscovered gem. She bridged the gap between country, folk, and sixties and seventies pop. Her music is steeped in gothic sentiment, as well as everyday sadness. If you haven't discovered her, this is a good place to start. However, like other albums, I believe that they are calling 'Papa Let me Go to Town' 'Chickasaw County Child.' Please forgive any mispellings. It is early, and amazon is forcing me to write this review.

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R. Kaufmann

Awesome

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2008

All of us who love Dusty in Memphis need to listen to the first disc of this amazing two-disc set. Gentry did it first, and did it better. Beyond that, she wrote her own material. No one-hit wonder; she produced an amazing body of work between 67-71. And then she walked away...

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David A. Scott

Such harsh sounds for such a fine artist!

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2007

Yikes! I've been eagerly awaiting someone to reissue Bobbie Gentry's back catalogue on cd and was thrilled to learn that UK-based Zonophone planned to do the deed. They started with this compilation billed as the Best of the Capitol Years (which is a silly subtitle as she only ever recorded for Capitol, but oh well). It's easy to forgive the titular foolishness, but the mastering on this is another matter. It's an utter mess. The vocals seem to be pushed way to the front and sound harsh; the instrumentation fades into a background mush on subtle tracks such as "Sweet Peony." "Casket Vignette," for example, sounds as if it were mastered from a cassette tape that had been run over by a John Deere tractor. I hope to goodness that they figure out what Bobbie Gentry sounds like before they release the albums!

The rare and unreleased tracks make this a must-own for diehards like me. For neophytes, there are much better Bobbie Gentry comps out there. The organization principle on this is clever (self-penned tunes on disc 1, covers on disc 2), but not especially revelatory or interesting.

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Best of Bobbie Gentry: The Capitol Years

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